In the 13th year of Yonghe in the Great Zhou Dynasty, the summer began.
It rained heavily all night long, and there were lightning and thunder all night long.
After daybreak, the wind stopped and the rain ceased. As soon as the city gates were opened, reports on floods from all over the country were sent to the emperor like snowflakes.
The mansion of Marquis Dingyuan was filled with mourning and cries of grief were heard everywhere. The Crown Prince's wife, Mrs. Xie, died of hemorrhage during childbirth at three o'clock last night.
At the same time, the marquis's mansion was located on a farm three hundred miles away. Due to heavy rain, farmland was flooded, houses collapsed, and dozens of tenants were injured or killed.
When the news reached the Marquis' Mansion, Mrs. Qin, who was in charge of the funeral, had to muster up her strength to arrange people to go and check the disaster and comfort the families of the injured and dead.
***
"Xiu'er, Xiu'er, please don't abandon me. How can I live without you..."
In the chaos, Xie Nanjia heard someone calling her nickname. The mournful cries were like an invisible hand grasping her heart, making her unable to breathe.
Mother? Is it mother
All the bitterness and grievances in her heart suddenly came flooding back like a tide: the pain of childbirth, the ruthlessness of her husband, the calculations of her concubines, the intrigues of the mansion...
She wanted to throw herself into her mother's arms and cry, but she found that she couldn't even open her eyelids.
The crying in her ears broke her heart and tears flowed down her eyes.
"She's crying!" someone exclaimed, "Xiu'er's mother, look, Xiu'er is not dead yet, she's crying!"
"Doctor, hurry up, save her, my daughter is not dead yet!"
"Xiu'er, Xiu'er, open your eyes and look at mother!"
There was a moment of chaos, followed by the stinging pain of the silver needle cutting into his flesh, and Xie Nanjia suddenly opened his eyes.
"Alive, alive, the child is alive..."
"Thank God, God bless you..."
Xie Nanjia looked around blankly amid the noise, and was then stunned by the scene before him.
There was water and mud everywhere, the air was filled with the smell of mud, and there were collapsed farmhouses all around. In front of me stood a group of skinny, sallow-faced, ragged villagers...
What is this place and why am I here
Wasn’t I giving birth in the Marquis’ Mansion? How could I suddenly appear in a place like this
Ah, child, where is my child? She called out in panic, "Green Willow, Painted Building..."
"Xiu'er, what are you saying?" A teary-eyed peasant woman grabbed her hand, "Speak louder, I can't hear you clearly."
mother
Whose mother
Xie Nanjia was so focused on her child that she didn't have time to think about it. She held her belly and asked repeatedly, "Where's my child? Where's my child?"
There was an uproar all around.
How could an unmarried woman have a child
Could it be that she committed adultery and got secretly pregnant
No wonder the steward's son Juan died under the wall of her bedroom. Maybe the child was Juan's.
Unfortunately, Juan’s brain was smashed by the beam of the house. Even if he had a child, he was destined to be without a father.
An unmarried woman who did such a shameful thing would be punished by God. No wonder there were lightning and thunder all night last night, and no wonder only her bedroom collapsed among the three houses in her house...
Everyone was talking about it, and the more they talked, the more unbearable it became. Xiu'er's mother was so angry that she picked up a stick and started beating people, wanting to drive them out.
Xie Nanjia turned a deaf ear to this. She lay on the ground, staring blankly at the gloomy sky. A ghostly voice sounded in her ears:
"Xie Nanjia, it doesn't matter if you are the legitimate daughter of a general, or the wife of a marquis' son. You are honored with wealth and talent, but you still died in my hands. From now on, your husband is mine, your honor is mine, and all the wealth and splendor of this marquis's family is mine!
Xie Nanjia, go to hell! "
(End of this chapter)